


Ten Ways Dean Winchester Showed Castiel Being A Human Is Way Better Than Being An Angel

by words_reign_here



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-13 12:56:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/words_reign_here/pseuds/words_reign_here
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The title says it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ten Ways Dean Winchester Showed Castiel Being A Human Is Way Better Than Being An Angel

**Author's Note:**

> The song I referred to in this is Edith Piaf's La Vie En Rose. Beautiful piece, check it out while you are reading #'s 2 and 3. As always, comments are welcome.

It was the third night that Dean had woken up to hear shuffling from the living room. Cas was out there, he knew. He hadn't left since he had fallen and Dean knew he wouldn't until they kicked his newly feather-less ass out. Dean listened to Cas stumble into the kitchen and was drifting off when he heard glass shatter on the hard cement floor. He was on his feet and in the hallway before he knew what was going on.

"What happened?" Dean asked, fists raised, ready to fight already.

"I, uh, I dropped the glass. I was thirsty and I dropped the glass." Cas mumbled. He frowned at the shards of glass in his hands and Dean flicked on the light above them to see blood bloom crimson in Castiel's hand.

"Hey, man. Don't pick that up. We gotta sweep it so you don't cut yourself- like you just did." Dean sighed and turned to grab the paper towels behind him. He directed Castiel's bleeding palm to the trashcan and had him dump the glass in there. Dean glanced up in time to see Castiel smooth the strange look away in his eyes and mouth.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"I would have never been cut months ago, Dean. This human form is troubling."

"Well, I can understand that. But now your batting for our team, so we'll just go the old fashioned route, what do you say?" Dean clapped him on the back and tore some paper towels off the roll and pressed them to Castiel's hands, his wrist warm in Dean's hand.

"I don't like it." Castiel stated, as though he were a child defying his parents.

"What don't you like?" Dean asked.

"This! This weakness, this human form, eating, sleeping, I'm sick of it, Dean! I used to be able to travel through time and space with no effort at all and now, now! I get tired and I have to have water and vegetables and I'm sick of not being what my Father meant for me to be!" Cas jerked his hand out of Dean's grasp and wiped away the tears, tracking down his; he left smears of blood on his face and Dean was reminded of when he had cut a sigil in his own chest so he and Sam could escape Zachariah.

"Hey, hey. It's not so bad. Being human. There's a lot of great things to being one of us." Dean said, catching Cas' hand and wrapping it in paper towels once again.

"Name one." Cas said, sullen and angry. "I used to be able to fly, Dean. What does humanity have over that?"

"I can name ten, Cas. We'll start tomorrow." Dean said, holding Castiel's hand more tightly.

"Tomorrow?" Cas asked.

"It'll be a surprise."

Cas watched him suspiciously while Dean bandaged his hand and gave him a couple of asprin.

 

1.

The next day, Dean woke Cas up and threw a pair of jeans and a tshirt at him. "Put those on. Let's go."

"Dean it is barely past five in the morning."

"You'll love it. Come on."

Dean dragged Cas out of the bunker and into the woods behind them. It was early summer and the sky was the impossible blue that Dean had only seen in Cas' eyes when he was happy. The patches of grass that they encountered were green and they happened to pass by a small meadow full of wildflowers. Dean would occasionally stop and tip his head back, letting the sun fall onto his face like water from above. Cas tried it to, and after the first few times he _got_ it. It felt good just to be warm from above, to know that the ground was beneath his feet, and the tired ache was from something enjoyable and frivilous. They must have hiked for five miles before Dean finally leaned over, his hands on his knees and grinned up at Cas.

"Get it?"

"I got it." Cas confirmed.

Dean nodded back downhill.

"Let's go home."

 

2 & 3.

When they reached the bunker, Dean insisted that Cas take a shower and when he got out, he had laid out his softest flannel pajama bottoms and turned down his own bed. The lights were off except for a small bedside lamp that dimly lit the room. Dean was crouched next to his small turntable and was picking through his old vinyl records.

"It's not what it looks like. But this is one of my favorite things to do since we got the bunker. We get to take naps, Cas. Lay down." Dean nodded to the bed that was already turned down for him.

"Dean, this is your bed-"

"And it's memory foam. Believe me, it's the best thing in this bunker." Dean gently laid the needle down on the record and strode over to the bed. "Come on. I know you don't like sleeping, but you need to." Cas shuffled over to the bed and laid down stiffly next to Dean who was already relaxing. The song began and Edith Piaf's voice filled the room softly.

"That's French." Castiel remarked.

"I figured. Love this song. I don't know what she is saying, but it's beautiful."

Cas cleared his throat.

" _With eyes which make mine lower,_

_A smile which is lost on his lips,_

_That's the unembellished portrait_

_Of the man to whom I belong._

Cas paused and he felt Dean relax even further into the mattress and in turn, his own body relaxed and as the song played, he would murmur the translation to Dean who had a half smile playing across his face.

_When he takes me in his arms_

_He speaks to me in a low voice,_

_I see life as if it were rose-tinted._

_He whispers words to declare to me his love_

_Words of the everyday_

_And that does something to me._

_He has entered into my heart_

_A piece of happiness_

_the cause of which I know full well._

_It's him for me, me for him in life_

_He said that to me, swore to me "forever"._

_And as soon as I see him_

_So I feel in me_

_My heart which beats_

_May the nights on which we make love never end,_

_A great joy which takes its place_

_The trouble, the grief are removed_

_Content, content to die of it_

_When he takes me in his arms_

_He speaks to me in a very low voice,_

_I see life as if it were rose-tinted._

_He whispers words to declare to me his love_

_Words of the everyday_

_And that does something to me._

_He has entered into my heart_

_A piece of happiness_

_the cause of which I recognise._

_It's him for me, me for him in life_

_He said that to me, swore to me forever._

_And as soon as I see him_

_So do I feel in me_

_My heart which beats_

And before either of them knew it, they had both drifted off Dean suspiciously closer to Castiel than they had started out.

 

4.

When Cas woke up, he was alone in Dean's bed. He opened the door and followed the voices out to the kitchen. He found Sam and Dean leaning over the counters, clearly conspiring against Castiel. Sam smirked at Cas and Cas couldn't help but notice that Dean was still in his pajamas too, hair tousled like he had only just woken himself. Dean smirked at him and asked, "Good nap?"

"Exceptional." Cas said honestly.

"Good. Now, for the rest of the night, we are going to watch pointless movies and eat food that is really bad for us and not worry about anything else. All right?"

Cas hesitated. He was not used to doing pointless things that did not change the fate of the world or at the very least, the Winchesters. But he had seen Dean and Sam engage in these activities before and he knew they found it enjoyable.

"If you say so, Dean."

That night, they watched all the Die Hard movies and at Sam's insistence, two Harry Potter movies. Dean dozed off during Harry Potter but woke with a start when they ended. Thereafter ensued a wrestling match between Dean and Sam about which series was better. Dean was clearly the winner but Cas had to side with Sam that Harry Potter was the better series.

 

5.

"Why can I not wear my usual clothes?" Cas asked for the fourth time.

"I told you, man. We are going somewhere that might get messy. I don't want to try to get that stuff out of your favorite coat." Cas frowned at him, but straightened the dark button down shirt that Dean had loaned him. Sam appeared in the hallway, dressed in a button down and slacks as well, keys in hand.

"You guys ready?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

Dean let Sam drive and hummed along with the radio, drumming his fingers on the back of the seat. They headed into town and over to the hospital. Sam parked the car and headed into the volunteer area and smiled at the young girl at the front.

"Hi Stephanie. Here for my shift. I also brought my brother and our cousin along. Their files are already in the back."

The girl, who clearly had a crush on Sam from the way she was blushing so violently, nodded and said, "Sure, Sam. Just IDs and we'll get you on your way."

And after signing a few papers, Sam practically skipped over to the elevators and punched a button.

"Dean, if you are trying to show me the best of humanity, I do not understand why we are here." Cas said stiffly. The smell of stale air and cleaning fluid permeated everything and Cas could all but gag on it. 

"You'll see in a minute. Promise." Dean said, bumping his shoulder gently. "It's a good thing."

Sam showed them to the nurses station where the nurses continued to gush over Sam and Dean and make comments of what good genes their family must carry. They handed them paper gowns and made them wash their hands up to their elbows before showing them into-

"A nursery?" Cas said, looking at the babies that literally surrounded them.

"The babies, they can die if they don't get human touch every day for a certain amount of time. It's called - " One of the nurses explained.

"Failure to thrive, yes. I've, uh, seen it before." Cas said, thinking of the hundreds of babies that died in Russian orphanages in the early 1900s. A nurse came by and gently ushered Cas over to a plastic cradle. "Her mother abandoned her at a fire station. She was addicted to crack and god knows what else. We have to monitor her closely."

Castiel's eyes widened. The little girl was small, but not overly unhealthy looking otherwise. He looked up at the nurse.

"May I?"

"Of course." She said and watched with a soft sort of smile as Cas bent over and scooped the little girl into his arms. He began to speak to her softly and she turned her head to his voice.

"Oh, I think someone has a crush..." The nurse said sweetly before leaving Cas. And if anyone saw Sam smirking at the lost and helpless sort of look in Dean's eyes as he watched Cas, they never told Dean.

 

6.

The next morning, Cas woke up feeling more rested than he had in months. The memory of the warm, sweet weight of the baby in his arms had soothed him better than even the song that had lulled him to sleep in Dean's room before.

A sweet cinnamon smell had taken over the entire bunker and he followed his nose into the kitchen. He watched as Dean pulled muffins out of the oven and on to the stove.

"If this doesn't give you a reason to love humanity, I'm not sure what will." Dean said, in way of greeting him.

"Muffins, Dean? After teaching me to love sleep, music, children, bonding time, and nature, you give me muffins?"

"Sustenance, Cas, is an art form. And these aren't any kind of muffins. These are my top only, apple cinnamon muffins. You better claim yours before the moose gets in here."

After waiting for a few more minutes, Cas gingerly plucked one of the muffins from the pan. He took a small piece apart with his hands and popped it into his mouth.

And melted.

The cinnamon melted in his mouth and small pieces of apple joined and Cas thought he had gone back to heaven. Dean passed him a cup of black coffee and the sweetness of the muffin combined with the bitterness of the coffee made his eyes almost water.

"Dean, this is amazing." Cas mumbled as he began to take much larger bites of the muffin. He heard Sam's door open and promptly snatched four more muffins for his own plate. After a moment's hesitation he took two more and glowered at Sam as he made his way over to them.

"Cas do you have six muffins?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Seven. There's one in his mouth." Dean said.

"I will murder you in your sleep for these muffins, Samuel Winchester." Cas threatened.

A wrestling match ensued.

Cas won the seven muffins. Turns out Cas still had a couple sneaky moves up his sleeve. Sam only had four that day. Dean had one.

 

7.

The next day passed without any Reasons Human Lives Are Better Than Angel Existences. Dean excused himself for several hours but Cas was disappointed that nothing came of it until Dean tossed Cas a hoodie of his and told him to put on some boots. They were going out tonight. Sam had that predictable smirk on his face that Castiel was noticing more and more and when Dean asked him if he was ready to go, Sam declined. Dean insisted more, but did not push. Dean and Cas got into the Impala and made their way to the outskirts of town where he turned down a small dirt path. After several miles, Dean stopped the car and said, "We have to walk from here."

The sun was setting and Cas followed Dean closely until they reached a lake. There was a small canoe tied to a tree and Dean went over to it and began loosening the rope.

He gestured for Cas to get in, pushed the canoe out and jumped in. The sun was almost completely gone and they paddled out to the middle of the lake. The boat made lazy circle in the lake and Cas leaned back to look up at the blue-that-was-almost-black sky. "There's Equuleus. Little horse." Cas said, pointing up and to the right. The stars began to peek out, one by one. With prompting from Dean, Cas would explain the constellations to him and that was how they spent most of that night, alone, on the water, talking about the stars.

 

8.

Another day passed without much happening. Quite suddenly the next day, Sam was insistent that Castiel accompany him on a supply run. Dean stayed at home and Sam took an unusually long time picking out milk, eggs, pancake mix and how much bottled water they should purchase. When they returned to the bunker, the lights were out and Castiel couldn't see in front of him. His arms were full of paper towels, eggs and milk so he couldn't reach for the lights right away. Sam followed him and flipped on the lights and below him, in the library stood the most important people in his life, wearing silly hats and big grins.

"Surprise!" They all yelled and Garth blew on something small and cardboard in his mouth that made a noise.

"What, what is this?" Cas said, looking back at Sam who was nudging him down the stairs. Once in the library floor with everyone else, Dean slipped on an equally silly hat that read BIRTHDAY BOY in blue across the top.

"Birthdays. They are awesome. Cake, the people you love, and a party just because you were born. All for you, Cas." Dean explained gently.

 

9.

After Charlie and Garth and Gabriel and Kevin were settled in with cake and ice cream, they led Cas to a table in the kitchen where brightly wrapped packages piled on the table. Sam grinned and snatched up a small package and held it out.

"Open mine first." He said.

"There's more?" Cas asked. "I thought celebrating my so-called birth with food was enough."

"It isn't a birthday party without presents." Garth explained.

Sam had found Plato's Republic, Symposium and Meno bound in a handsome leather back book. Garth had purchased a calligraphy pen and a thick journal filled with cream colored paper. Kevin purchased many of the major blockbusters of the previous five years to catch him up on pop culture and Charlie had bought an iPod and downloaded thousands upon thousands of songs for him. Gabriel presented four tickets to Las Vegas, all expenses paid.

Dean's present was the biggest of them all and Cas tore into the large box eagerly. He began to lift out -

"Games, Dean? Really?" Sam asked, incredulous, as Cas pulled out Connect Four, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, and Nerf Guns, among many others.

"Why not?" Dean asked, closely following Castiel's face. "If there is a reason why being human is better than being an angel, playing is one of them."

Cas had already pulled out the Twister mat and pushing the spinning board in Kevin's hands. Charlie stood up and they began playing. As they twisted themselves into more and more impossible directions, Cas began to laugh. Charlie fell over, taking him with her.

"I love it." Cas said, his eyes bright and shining.

 

10.

When the real reason Dean had taken this bet came up his hands were shaking. He felt a strange sinking in his stomach and Cas was continually asking him what was wrong. Dean had denied anything was wrong while they drove up to the circus and was monumentally disappointed when they learned that it had been packed in early because of the oncoming rain.

"Damn it." Dean cursed, turning to walk back to the Impala. Cas was still frowning at the man who had told him that the circus was closed and Dean turned back to him.

"I was looking forward to seeing the giraffe." Cas confessed.

Dean sighed. "Yeah, that would have been-"

Right then, the sky above them opened up and poured down buckets of rain. The Impala was too far away to make running an option and so Dean and Cas walked back to the car with their shoulders slumped against the clouds.

Cas happened to glance over his shoulder to see one of the men leading a giraffe out of the rain and into a tent and Cas grasped Dean's elbow to show him. They smiled and Dean was grateful because at least Cas got to see his giraffe.

But when he turned back to Cas, Cas wasn't looking at the giraffe. He was looking at Dean. And Dean knew that even though they were being rained on, they had only got a glimpse of Castiel's giraffe and their outing had been cut short, that this was it. This was why Dean was still around. It wasn't because he was the Righteous Man, or Sam's big brother, Michael's vessel or because he averted the apocalypse. It was the sheer adoration in Castiel's eyes and the way he could practically feel his heart thumping against his ribcage and Cas' hand on his arm.

And when he reached a hand up and laid his palm on Castiel's neck and traced Castiel's jaw with his thumb, he knew his own reason to be alive. He pulled Cas toward him and slanted his mouth over Castiel's and there was a soft sigh under Dean's mouth. Everything was soft and good and sweet and Dean thought crazily, if this is anything like what my muffins are for him, no wonder he threatened homicide.

"Kisses, Cas." Dean said, when he pulled away. "Kisses are the number two reason why being human is better than being an angel."

"What's number one?" Cas asked, shivering underneath Dean's fingers.

"That's for later."


End file.
